Doesn’t 2013 sound like an unlucky year? Is no one bringing up the fact that thirteen is unluckiest number of them all? Hotels don’t even make a thirteenth floor, that’s how bad it is. But it’s okay, let’s just all keep pretending that 2013 will be a great year.

I was looking at my resolutions last year and I was actually very surprised. Usually resolutions depress me because I’ve never really set a goal for myself and accomplished it. At least, not on purpose. But I completed a lot of the things on my list with flying colors!

For example, one of my goals was to start volunteering and I estimated that it would only last four months once if I started. Well, not only did I get a volunteering job, I stayed there for 10 months. Technically I’m still there, but they’ve been slow for a while so they haven’t needed me much.

Another resolution of mine from last year was to be more spontaneous in Victoria–do things I haven’t done, make more friends, and put myself out there. Well, now I’ve made lots of friends and did many adventurous things. And by that, I mean that I went camping twice.

Something else I had on my list was to read more. I projected that I would probably read one book this year and I ended up reading five! My little library is growing. I didn’t even realize I was completing a goal I set out for myself. Maybe that’s the key to setting goals, they have to be something you like to do so that you’ll end up accomplishing them no matter what.

Something else I wanted to do was to “make our apartment cozy and perfect”. I am so proud of myself with this one. Around the time that I wrote last year’s post, I had saved up a little over $1000 with my babysitting money and I wanted to buy a couch with it. Since then, I’d saved up enough to buy that couch, a chair and ottoman, a rug, a TV credenza/mini entertainment center, a trunk, and a mirror. I have definitely accomplished that goal. It makes me proud to have “feathered the nest” and I think it makes Paul proud too.

I still had other things on my list that I didn’t really accomplish like going to church more, stop hatin’ on people, and to complain less. And I think those will be my resolutions for this year. The year of the left-over resolutions.

But really, like I said last year, I’m basically perfect and I’m just writing this list out to feel more human.

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

About 55,000 tourists visit Liechtenstein every year. This blog was viewed about 180,000 times in 2012. If it were Liechtenstein, it would take about 3 years for that many people to see it. Your blog had more visits than a small country in Europe!

I think 2011 was one of my greatest years. So many crazy things happened! I graduated from an English University, I got married, I moved to a different country, I made new friends, and made a blog. Lots of milestones packed into one year! I wonder what 2012 holds?

I rarely make resolutions. If I do, it’s usually “lose weight” along with every other girl on the planet. Even when we girls are skinny, we never appreciate it. There’s always room to lose a pound or two. But I’m going to exclude that from my resolutions this year, because, lets face it, it’s not gonna happen. So here it goes, 2012 Resolutions!

1. Stop hatin’. I can hate on everything and anyone. Seriously, its a gift. But instead of saying “hate” I should just say that I highly dislike something. Approximate time that this resolution will last: 1 week.

2. Volunteer more. Working for no pay is possibly the worst idea that anyone has ever thought of. I also highly dislike the phrase ‘pro bono’ because it looks like pro Bono, the annoying Irishman who won’t take off those hideous shades. I’m definitely anti Bono. I feel like I should be doing more work though, and since I can’t really get a job, I might do some volunteering. Hopefully it will be good for my soul. Approx. time this will last: 4 months. Do I have too much faith in myself?

3. Be more spontaneous. In Victoria, I literally do the same thing day after day. I need to go explore, make friends, find activities (not that blogging isn’t a good activity!) and make more of life. Approx. lasting time: 2 minutes.

4. Read more. I used to be really into reading books from the “Classics” section of Barnes and Noble. Now I read a blog or two and I’m exhausted. Approx. lasting time: The whole year (because that’s how long it takes me to read a single book).

5. Make our apartment cozy and perfect. I have been saving up for a couch ever since I moved to Canada. I don’t work that often, so I’ve only saved up a little over $1000. But hey, I babysit for a living! I’m not a citizen, so I can’t get a real job right now. I’m proud of my savings! I am about half way to my couch! I also got a great deal on an entertainment center for our TV. Slowly but surely, my perfect home is falling into place. Approx lasting time: Forever.

6. Go to church more. I’ve been seriously slacking. It’s not that I don’t want to go, because I do. I really do. I’m just SO LAZY. I cannot be bothered to get there at 9:30am. I really want to go every week, AND start reading my scriptures more because I don’t remember anything. There were some religious questions on Jeopardy and I didn’t know anything! How embarrassing. Approx. lasting time: Until the next Rapture.

7. Complain a lot little less. This is tricky since there is so much to complain about daily. Dumb people, smart people, people who think they’re smart but they’re really dumb, people who think they’re dumb but they’re really smart, people in general, etc. Approx. lasting time: I don’t even know if I can start this one.

Wow making resolutions is so depressing. I thought this year was pretty good, but look at all the things I can fix. Or I don’t have to change at all, since, lets face it, I’m literally the best person in existence. I just made this list to feel a little more human.